Egypt: Getting There

The picture above is a screen shot from Google Maps.

Red marker marks my destination: Hurghada.

In 1995 I had one of the best holidays of my life when I went on a Nile Cruise with the mother of a school friend of my daughter. We did not know each other very well but we were both single and we agreed that if we did not get on, neither of us would have lost a friend, but if we did get on, then we would both have made a friend. We got on really well and had a wonderful time. We did the tourist tours of temples and tombs and drifted down the Nile each night, watching the life of the river banks slip slowly by whilst sipping cocktails til dusk – it was bliss.

I hope you won’t be disappointed to hear that there will be no tourist tour pictures from this trip. No pyramids or temple paintings. I stayed with friends who run a business in Hurghada, and I was happy to fit in with their daily life and chillax.

Even so there were preparations to be made:

Top priority, crochet (in this post) and sketch books in this post.

Then toe nails – ha! I don’t usually bother with nail varnish but I had visions of lying on a sunbed on the beach gazing past my smooth legs and pedicured feet to a serene turquoise sea – turquoise is a great colour to show off a tan – so I treated myself

at Pure, in Dorchester.

How wonderful it is to be pampered sometimes – sitting there waiting for the varnish to dry, dreaming of sun-drenched beaches and making a mandala, was one kind of heaven for me.

And now for some new sandals to go on those newly spruced-up feet. Of course I had to make them mine

 

and add a bit of colour (with Sharpie pens)

 

I might add more later, but for now, they were just right

Our plane from Gatwick was delayed for about an hour, which gave me some crochet and ‘people-watching’ time

I took this picture as a ‘before’ to see how much mindless crochet I would do in a week. Just rows of US dcs (UK tr): I can do this whilst chatting, watching TV and even walking along. I’m using a 5.5mm hook and scraps of yarn of all thicknesses tied together with a reef knot. I will leave the knots and ends on show as a design feature. The crochet hook passed through security no problem – both ways.

As we flew over icy mountains

I was happy listening to Pick of the Week, and a Play on my iPad and doodling

until we were coming into land over the desert

and then a short drive to the villa where my friends live when they are in Hurghada

As you can see, not quite the clear blue skies we were all expecting

There would be no lounging about on a sunbed here!

Or swimming in that icy pool

But the villa was lovely and there was a peaceful view from the sheltered veranda

Where one could watch the many feline residents/visitors come and go

but more of them another time ……

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Vase on Monday: Three

It is Cathy’s third anniversary of In a Vase on Monday – huge congratulations to her for this extremely enjoyable get together each week when gardeners from all over the world share what they have in their gardens to put in a vase.

She has chosen the theme of 3 to celebrate the occasion, which gives me an opportunity to show you this fabulous piece of ceramic sculpture/vase which I found in September.

It’s three chambers make it easy to plonk some flowers in and form their own arrangement.

Some years ago I arrived at this pottery near Solva

It was closed but as I was peering in through the windows to see if it was worth returning another day, the potters arrived and they opened up the gallery for me. I fell in love with the pots (and with them!). They have perfected their own unique frost proof glazes and I was tempted to buy some fabulous huge flower pots to put in the garden – at that time I didn’t feel able to afford them. Although worth every penny, I did not feel ready to make that investment. I have never stopped thinking about them – does that ever happen to you?

In September I went back – the Gallery was shut. I wanted to show my friend what I had been going on about for years, and we went to peer in the window – out came Mr. Ciappara, and just as on the first occasion was warm and welcoming and opened up the Gallery for us. He has now retired and his granddaughter Rivka has taken on the family business. 

She makes some magnificent things

and has a beautiful assistant!

I took a long time to decide…..

….. this?

…. so many beauties to choose from.

I picked them up and could feel as my hands went around them how they had been formed. I asked about the process of making them and learnt of the intricate, time consuming way they are made and how many long hours they have to be in the kiln – the triumphs, the disasters.

The details

and the texture created by cloth.

In the end I decided on these two. They can go in the garden and I think one day they might sit in or beside the pond I have been planning.  

I’m thrilled with them, especially when the light catches the glazes.

Perfect to celebrate with Cathy and her theme of 3

with some late blooming flowers and the promise of Garrya tassles

Also joining in with Cee’s Flower of the Day – it is her birthday today – Happy Birthday Cee!

Details of the Pottery

Address:

Studio Pottery & Gallery, Caerfarchell,

Saint David’s, Pembrokeshire, United Kingdom

Telephone number:

01437 720366

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/pg/studiopotteryandgallery/about/

Email:

studiopotteryandgallery@gmail.com